Home
by Andromakhe
Summary: Somewhat fanciful, a tad AU. Obi-Wan and Luke meet Owen and Beru. Because surely, the Larses had questions and possibly didn't want Luke initially. This is the talk they might have had. Inspired by Simon And Garfunkel's "American Tune."


Disclaimer: This is just a labor of love. Definitely not presuming to own or profit from such a vibrant universe. Greatest respect to Lucas and LucasFilm.

Spoilers: Eps II and III

The ride to the Lars homestead was hot and relatively quiet, aside from occasional vocalizations from Luke or the eopie Obi-Wan rode. Luke was in a sling at Obi-Wan's hip. Obi-Wan had a protective arm around the boy, who had his cheek pressed against his side. For once, Obi-Wan was at a loss as to what he'd say when he got to his destination. He didn't know these people and this plan to have them raise the boy was all well and good in theory. But he was in no position, no condition, to deal with anyone at the moment, least of all strangers. Yet he'd volunteered for this mission. Then again, who else could have done it? Master Yoda? Somehow, Obi-Wan didn't think that would go over very well. People often needed to get used to the old Master's species and peculiar dialect. And that was on top of showing up out of nowhere with a baby.

He sighed and began to hum a sad, wistful song about lost dreams, lost friends, a lost home. The eopie seemed to enjoy the singing, but Luke began to whimper pathetically. Obi-Wan stopped and held him against his chest, clicking his tongue and stroking his cheek gently. "It's all right, little one," Obi-Wan murmured soothingly. "It's not your fault."

The boy was exceedingly empathetic and Obi-Wan was simultaneously touched and alarmed at how deeply his grief affected him. Anakin felt deeply, too, and it got everyone into trouble. Then again, he and Qui-Gon felt deeply, and…Obi-Wan sighed again. There is no passion; there is serenity. And yet, his Jedi lineage was made up of passionate, purposeful individuals. He grunted at the irony. Still, he and his Master had more realistic expectations, more manageable emotions. So just because Luke felt strongly didn't mean he'd be like Anakin. But it was too soon to tell, and Obi-Wan worried.

He smiled as the thought came unbidden: _Don't center on your anxieties. _The knowledge that Yoda had spoken to his Master and the implication that he would as well heartened him somewhat and he decided he'd just try to behave as normally as possible. After all, it's what his Master would have done. He chuckled softly and Luke smiled up at him. Obi-Wan embraced him briefly and set him on his lap, relaxing into a pleasant semi-consciousness until he sensed people and saw they'd arrived.

It was Beru who had noticed the lone rider heading in the direction of their home. She'd thought it odd because their community was one in which everyone knew each other, so a stranger was cause for suspicion and unease. Indeed, she recalled the last time outlanders had come to their home. Her father-in-law had been alive then, and the Jedi outlander had done the unthinkable and braved the Tuskens when he'd heard his mother had been abducted. The clearly wealthy woman with him had stayed at the house, fretting over the Jedi's safety and telling Beru she really ought to be used to this by now but never would be. She said it was a Jedi's way to take risks, and particularly **that** Jedi. Unfortunately, Beru couldn't remember their names. After their small funeral for Shmi, the outlanders had left and never returned. Presumably, it was Shmi who had brought them to Tatooine. Now that this new outlander was closer, she could see he had a child, a very new one by the size of it. Beru stayed back near the house as Owen approached the stranger.

Owen and Obi-Wan looked at each other appraisingly. Owen noted Obi-Wan's arm around the baby tucked against his body while the other hand patted the eopie and stroked its neck rhythmically. Obi-Wan noted Owen's blaster in plain sight, unlike his lightsaber. He made no move to dismount or to greet Owen, but neither did he give ground. He clearly meant to be where he was, so Owen spoke first.

"Hello, stranger. You're clearly not from here. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious of you. It's not every day outlanders come to Tatooine, and what little experience I have with them is…awkward. I'm assuming you sought us out specifically, since mostly, people get what they need from Mos Eisley. Or perhaps you have relatives here? But then, you'd have gone to their place directly. May I ask your business here?"

Obi-Wan inclined his head. "Hello. All you say is perfectly understandable." Here, he eyed the blaster pointedly. "I'm here because of this boy." He dismounted from the eopie and looked her in the eyes briefly, touching her mind with the Force. Luke perked up and watched Obi-Wan and the eopie closely. "Hang on, girl," he murmured, before turning to Owen. "But first, are you the Larses?" He nodded to beru, who nodded back.

"That's right," Owen affirmed. "I'm Owen and that's my wife, Beru." He glanced over at her and looked back at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Then you're definitely the people I'm looking for. May I talk to both of you? Inside, preferably? Might be better for Luke, you see." He patted him on the shoulder, and Luke cooed.

"I don't see why not. Beru, do we have room for them?"

"Of course," Beru replied. "I'll get things set up." She went inside and set out water, some light snacks, another chair at their table, and a little makeshift bed of blankets for Luke near Obi-Wan's place.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan unloaded supplies and spoke to the eopie while Owen and Luke looked on. "Okay, girl. Make sure you can hear me when I call you. Otherwise, you can go where you like." Luke felt the Force shift as Obi-Wan delivered the same directive nonverbally and the eopie began walking away.

"You're going to have a heck of a time tracking her when she wanders too far," Owen warned. "You should tether her. It's not like she understood a word you said."

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows, as though Owen were a wayward Padawan. "Oh, no. I'm sure she understood. I don't like to tie animals unless they've shown themselves to be unruly, and she's been very docile. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Well, if she's long gone, I'm not helping you find her because I warned you."

"As you wish. Shall we go in?"

Owen lead the way inside. It was only when he was seated next to Beru and directly across from Obi-Wan that he realized he still didn't know this person's name, this person that claimed animals understood him.

Obi-Wan put Luke carefully on the bed arranged for him. Luke yawned and closed his eyes. "That's right, little one. You rest while we adults talk, hmmm?" Luke smiled drowsily as though he understood Obi-Wan and wrapped a hand around one of Obi-Wan's fingers until he fell asleep.

The Jedi quietly took his seat and looked from Owen to Beru, smiling slightly. "I suppose I should start with introductions. I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. The boy is Luke. Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker?" Owen exclaimed in surprise.

"Ssssh," Obi-Wan whispered, though Luke didn't stir. "That's right. I have it on good authority your family has connections to them."

"Well, I met two of them previously, and I suppose Luke counts as a third, though we haven't formally met yet."

**"Met** two of them? I'll agree you met Anakin, but wasn't Shmi more than just someone you met?"

"Well, yes. But how do you know all this? The names, the fact I knew them?" Obi-Wan could sense Owen's growing fear. Beru looked sidelong at Owen and the Jedi Master could almost hear her connecting the dots.

"Kenobi," Beru said quietly. "That name…Wasn't that the reason Anakin and that important woman left? He seemed important to them and they took off in a hurry."

"Padme, I presume?" Obi-Wan put in helpfully. "I seem to recall Anakin was escorting her, serving as her guard."

"Kenobi," Owen muttered with foreboding. "You're the one they went after? Then what does the boy have to do with this? You said you're here because of him. Why isn't Luke with Anakin?"

Obi-Wan looked Owen straight in the eyes for a long moment, unblinking and unmoving. Now that the moment had come, Obi-Wan couldn't bear to tell the truth. But there was nothing for it. "Anakin…He's dead. He…fell to the Dark Side. I was supposed to keep him safe. I failed him. And Padme, Luke's mother…She died after delivering him." The guilt could be heard in his voice, if not seen on his face. "I failed us all," he whispered almost inaudibly.

Owen was confused. "Dark Side? Why can't Jedi ever speak plainly? I'm presuming that's what you are, since no normal person uses language like that. And as far as Luke goes, I'm sorry he lost his parents, but you seem to have adopted him, so I don't see what the problem is."

"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan muttered threateningly. "Did you just say Force-sensitives aren't normal? Because we are. And for your information, the Force is a natural phenomenon. Just because you aren't attuned to it doesn't make it evil or nonexistent."

Owen blinked. Had the Jedi read his mind?

"No, I am not reading your mind. You are merely broadcasting. Force-blinds tend to do that because shielding requires Force sensitivity. And you just have to take my word for it. There's no way to prove I'm not reading it. As for Luke, I haven't adopted him because I can't keep him. I was hoping you and Beru would consent to raise him."

"What? You expect to just show up and leave him here? We can't afford another mouth to feed, thanks to the blasted War. No thanks to your people, I might add. It was hard living here even when times were good for the practically nonexistent Republic. No. He's not staying here."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, then shook his head sadly. "The War wasn't my fault or the fault of the Jedi. I take responsibility for Anakin, but blaming us for the war is untenable. Never mind. I see it won't matter if I try to explain. Look, if you don't take Luke, he's not staying with me. That's non-negotiable. If you don't take him, I'll have to leave him with an orphanage."

"Why can't you raise him? You've already started."

"Because he's not safe with me. The Empire will kill us both if they find me."

"It's no concern of mine if a Force-sensitive is killed. You created the Empire."

"We…So you're saying we deserve…?" Obi-Wan's eyes widened in disbelief. He remembered the Temple in ruins, lifeless Jedi everywhere, little ones just like Luke, killed just for their Force potential. He turned away and Luke began to cry as though his heart would break.

Beru shook her head at Owen and approached Luke, who was reaching toward Obi-Wan. But Obi-Wan was lost in memory and overwhelming grief and could not help the boy. She picked Luke up and began to rock him gently. Luke's cries became whimpers as he kept looking at Obi-Wan and waving his hands toward him. Beru brought Luke over to the Jedi and set him in his lap. Obi-Wan automatically picked him up and Luke's little hand brushed Obi-Wan's cheek lightly. Obi-Wan felt Luke trying to imitate what he did with the eopie earlier with the Force, and began to laugh. "You've certainly gotten my attention, little one, but it'll be some years yet until you can do that with any true skill. It's hit or miss at the moment. Mostly miss." But Obi-Wan touched Luke's mind and sent love and gratitude along their connection, and Luke's whimpers subsided. Obi-Wan held him close to his heart a moment before setting him back on the little bed.

Beru didn't profess to know or understand what the Force was, but she knew that it existed by that simple exchange. Luke understood Obi-Wan - of that, she had no doubt. The Force was as good an explanation as any, and if Luke was able to use it and Force wielders were being killed, then Luke was a target. The idea that people were dying just for being born a certain way didn't sit well with her at all, and even if the Jedi had tried to assassinate the Chancellor, (no, former Chancellor), she didn't think it made sense that they'd advocate their current status as enemies of the state. Maybe they did create the Empire because of the assassination attempt, but clearly, it was an accident. No matter whose fault it was, Luke was stuck in the middle, never asking to be born and having no part in the events that lead them where they were. And Obi-Wan…Well, he was right that if he couldn't raise Luke, he should see to it that Luke was placed somewhere he'd be safe and loved rather than neglected. Credits were a problem, but the Darklighters had a son and they were friends. She was sure they'd be willing to help, as would their other neighbors.

Obi-Wan caught Beru's eye and winked at her, giving her a secretive half-smile. "Not mind reading," he murmured apologetically, but with a hint of teasing. Beru chuckled. Owen frowned.

"Owen," Beru said, "we can't allow Luke to go to an orphanage. I know we can't really afford him, but we have friends and neighbors who have children or are expecting. We wouldn't have to go it alone. And I know you don't like Luke's Jedi connections, but he's an innocent victim of fate. He's family. Shmi's grandson. And you know how I've wanted a child."

Owen sighed heavily. He'd lost and he knew it. He loved Shmi and Beru and couldn't refuse them. Still, he was stubborn and tried one last argument. "The boy's Force-sensitive, isn't he, Kenobi?"

"I'm afraid so," Obi-Wan said carefully.

"Won't that be a problem for us? Isn't that why Force-sensitives were given to the Jedi?"

"It was a partial reason," Obi-Wan murmured, voice tinged with sorrow. "Some children who are not taught to manage the Force end up frightened, confused, and in a very dark place. Others get along just fine with undeveloped skills. I think Luke would not do well untrained. Parents made the choice to give their children to the Jedi or not. Yes. Some wished to keep their children and raise them, but they were taking a risk with their children's stability."

"Then how will we raise him when we are not Force-sensitive?"

"I can help with that. Yes, that would mean a long-term relationship." He chuckled and Owen scowled. "But Luke would still spend most of his time with you two and would answer to you both primarily. Or so that's the plan. It doesn't always go according to plan." Obi-Wan seemed to turn inward at this point. Owen wished he could read the Jedi's mind, but based on his expression, he was not thinking of anything good.

"All right," Owen acquiesced. "I guess I'm obligated to take the boy. But only out of respect to Mother and because Beru clearly loves him already. He'll have nothing to do with Jedi if I can help it. They're a bad influence and it didn't go well for Anakin."

Obi-Wan stood and bowed to Owen and resumed his seat. "I understand. But the Force may have other ideas. Still, I'm grateful to both of you. And now, I must ask for a favor for me and possibly for Luke. The name Skywalker must be retained."

"Why? We're adopting him," Owen retorted.

"I know. That is why I say it is a favor for me. Anakin was like a brother to me. There is nothing left of Anakin now except that name. Luke will never know who Anakin was except through stories you or I may tell. Please allow the name to remain. Then, in some small way, Anakin will never be forgotten."

Owen grimaced. He didn't like the idea of Luke having such a conspicuous name, but it took no real effort to agree to the request. After all, that was already Luke's name. It would take more effort to change it. "Very well," Owen sighed. "People are going to wonder where Luke came from anyway, so he may as well keep it. The closer friends know Shmi's maiden name was Skywalker."

Obi-Wan nodded in satisfaction and looked over at Luke, who was sleeping again. He hesitated, but then decided not to wake him. He set supplies for Luke on the table between them. "Not much, I know, but better than nothing. I'll be around, should the Force become a problem. It manifests in different ways for different people. As empathetic as Luke is, he'll probably feel emotions strongly. I'm not sure what else is likely. May I take some of those refreshments with me?"

"Certainly," Beru smiled kindly. "You must be hungry. I could give you a meal to go if you want. I'd offer to have you stay for dinner, but Owen probably would object."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "No, it's all right. I should be on my way." He drank deeply from his glass of water and stowed some packets of crackers in the bag that used to have Luke's things. He stole a last glance at Luke and turned away resolutely, Beru escorting him outside.

"Owen's not heartless," Beru said suddenly.

"Hmmm?" Obi-Wan queried, blinking. "I didn't think he was."

"After his comments about your people being killed for being Force-sensitive?" Beru challenged. "I'd think he was."

Obi-Wan frowned sadly. "He's wrong, but not unfeeling. He cares for you. He said as much. If he fears the Jedi and our powers, well, he wouldn't be the first person. And he may not be too fond of Luke now, but Luke is easy to love. Perhaps he will come around yet." Obi-Wan smiled craftily.

Beru looked impressed. This one might be an outlander, complete with arrogant accent and overly polished airs, but he was a Jedi like those in stories, wise and compassionate. "Owen would not agree, but I hope Luke gets to know you. Luke could do a lot worse for a role model."

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "I'm not so sure, ma'am. It's as Owen said. Being a Jedi went badly for Anakin. But it is kind of you to say." Obi-Wan stretched out a hand and closed his eyes. In the Force, he called to his eopie, which eventually ambled into sight. Beru blinked. She was sure the eopie hadn't been anywhere nearby. Obi-Wan smiled. "The Force," he said simply. "I asked her to stay within calling distance." He put his bag in the eopie's saddle and began to climb in, but stopped and turned toward the house. "Luke," he murmured. "I'm afraid he's heartbroken."

Owen came outside with Luke, who stopped crying when he saw Obi-Wan. "Told Luke you were leaving and he just started."

Obi-Wan held out his arms and Owen gave Luke to him. "I'm sorry, little one. I can't stay. It has to be this way."

Obi-Wan could feel rather than hear the questions. "Why? I don't know them. Why don't you want me?"

Obi-Wan flinched, visibly. That hit too close to home. "It is safer with them. Your Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. You'll see me again. I know you don't understand, but you trust me, right? We'll meet again. Who knows? You might even forget old Kenobi with the friends you'll make."

Luke wasn't having that. He was safe with **him,** not people he didn't know. And they were together **now.** That was all that mattered.

Obi-Wan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It sounded so much like Qui-Gon, or what he might have said to Qui-Gon given the same argument. "But you're not losing me, little one. Nothing's more important than your future, your life. I wouldn't leave you with them if I didn't trust them. You cannot get your way, whatever you do. Better to accept and trust."

Luke was resigned. How could he fight one so strong? But 'Obi had said he'd return, and at least he was being left with someone and not alone. All he knew was 'Obi had better come back.

"Or you'll do what?" Obi-Wan laughed, and lay Luke's cheek against his tenderly. "I'll be around, just like I told them, for as long as I can." With that, he handed Luke over to Beru and climbed into his saddle. He nodded to the Larses and rode away, but in the Force, he stayed near Luke until the link could no longer be maintained. And when Obi-Wan's presence faded from Luke's awareness, he turned to Beru and nestled against her bosom. He tried to speak to her as he could with Obi-Wan, but Beru didn't answer. Still, she could speak to him, and he felt love and warmth. He'd miss 'Obi, but decided he could love Beru if that's what 'Obi wanted. He wasn't sure about Owen, but he could tell his uncle didn't want him hurt, and he could return that feeling. As the Larses went back indoors, Luke was at peace.


End file.
